The Revised Alamo and Riverwalk

Today I took a million pictures, and it took me some time to sort through which ones to share with you. My much anticipated trip into San Antonio to meet up with my friends from Montana was truly successful. We had bright blue skies and seventy-ish temperatures today, the best possible weather for being outdoors.

A bus stops right at the gate to this RV park, so it was an easy trip downtown for me. I had about five minutes to get my bearings and then I heard my name being called from across the street.

And look what I found in San Antonio! Two of my very dearest lifelong friends from Montana.

We made a great team exploring downtown San Antonio.

Being from Montana, I know about cows and horses and rodeos and boots and such. Here's how it looks in Texas, or downtown San Antonio to be specific.

Now that would be a boot - not a s***kicker! The streets had a very festive air to them as San Antonio prepares for a big rodeo event beginning soon. Along with being hailed by arts and crafts and food vendors we were serenaded by street musicians too. Yes, they were country western singers.

And it was good to be reassured that most Texans are not morons.

We spent some quiet and sobering time at the Alamo. The first picture is the building we usually think of as the Alamo, the original mission church, but the Fort was actually a compound that was large and included several buildings, including, under that huge tree, a well. Walking here it was easy to think of the people who were living out their lives in day to day activities like bringing in the water from that well. The sixteen day seige on the Alamo by the Mexican army ended on March 6, 1836, when all of the soldiers were killed. A very few women, children, and civilians survived.

And here's that coonskin hat I missed out on when I was ten, but it looks too small for me now.

I didn't find a Davy Crockett T-shirt so I settled for one of the Alamo.

I have saved the best for last, the Riverwalk of San Antonio. Here was my first glimpse.

My idea of what the Riverwalk would be like was based on knowing that it was a level beneath street level. I expected gloomy, cold and dark. It was quite the opposite, bright, cheery and often sunny.

Very colorful. The river is partly the San Antonio River and partly excavated canal. Both sides of the water are lined with retaurants and shop. We ate lunch outdoors beside the water at tables like these.

We walked along the banks of the river to see changing scenes and shops.

These boats offered a tour, so we made a forty-five minute loop of the Riverwalk in one of these. It was a good way to hear about the history of the area and catch glimpes of the most interesting architecture.

We passed under this bridge, getting lots of waves from onlookers.

Down on this lower level is the main entrance to Rivercenter Mall. Above, on street level, the mall could easily be missed in passing by.

Here was a waterfall created to camoflauge the recycling of the water in the manmade part of the river.

And this is San Antonio, the Portuguese Saint Anthony, patron saint of children, for whom this city is named.

These five bells are above the outdoor stage of a live theatre.

And here is another theatre, the Aztec, which has a light show in the lobby and plays old black and white movies without sound, accompanied by a Wurlitzer organ.

This building is an example of art deco architecture. Note its colorful top.

And would you believe how narrow the rooms must be in this building? -- which is actually an optical illusion created by the building's triangular shape.

Nearby was HemisFair Park, site of the International HemisFair of the sixties, held here in San Antonio. Its flagship structure was this Tower of the Americas, an impressive accomplishment of engineering.

HemisFair Park has many water features and must be a cool haven on hot summer days. There are signs prohibiting swimming and wading in these pools. Obviously it would be very tempting.

All over the city, we saw many spots of living color, cool weather plants. Even though they sparkled under the sunny skies, spring hasn't quite arrived in San Antonio, Texas yet. Bright red and white cyclamen. Pansies and snapdragons. Roses. And bouganvilla in the bottom picture, I think.

And I'm always watching for the opportunity for that bright little caffeine high, Starbucks. We found this Starbucks early in the day, a bi-level Starbucks. It was a great spot to have a leisurely cup of coffee and still see the river action at the same time.

Later on we whisked by this second Starbucks as we were hurrying to catch my bus on time.Missed the Starbucks but caught the bus and before long I was back at my RV doorstep where a lazy little dog leisurely stretched out from his all day nap before going outside for a walk.

. . .

Tomorrow is a new day.